Kent and Medway Big Free Bus Weekend
Friday 9 June 2023
The KCC Public Transport department have supplied Wingham Parish Council with the following briefing about FREE BUS TRAVEL on 24 & 25 June 2023
Background: Every year Visit Kent runs the Kent Big Weekend, in which Kent residents can enter a ballot for free or substantially reduced-price tickets to a variety of Kent attractions. This year BSIP funding has enabled Kent County Council to support the Big Weekend with free bus transport and in addition, to support the bus network more generally, by offering all Kent and Medway residents free bus travel throughout Kent and Medway on both Kent Big Weekend days.
Free Travel on 24th-25th June 2023 Agreement has been reached with the DfT, Medway Council and Kent bus operators, to offer free bus travel on both Saturday and Sunday of the Kent Big Weekend from the time the first bus starts on Saturday and Sunday morning until 8PM on both days. ENCTS bus pass holders will not need to use their passes during that time as they will be counted alongside all other passengers boarding the bus for free.
It is hoped that this initiative will reduce the number of cars on the road for the Big Weekend outings and support the bus network in Kent by encouraging people to use buses again after the pandemic.
Journeys which cross county boundaries (for example into London boroughs or Sussex) are free of charge up to the county boundary but the normal fare will be chargeable from when the bus goes outside of Kent or Medway.
TfL buses are not included in this initiative.
More information Posters will be distributed to bus operators, gateways and libraries and you may see references to the Big Free Bus Weekend in the local press and on social media. See the KCC web page for more information: www.kent.gov.uk/freebusweekend
You can get further information about the Kent Big Weekend from Visit Kent’s web page www.kentbigweekend.co.uk